Questionnaire Construction - Types of Questions

Types of Questions

1. Contingency questions - A question that is answered only if the respondent gives a particular response to a previous question. This avoids asking questions of people that do not apply to them (for example, asking men if they have ever been pregnant).
2. Matrix questions - Identical response categories are assigned to multiple questions. The questions are placed one under the other, forming a matrix with response categories along the top and a list of questions down the side. This is an efficient use of page space and respondents’ time.
3. Closed ended questions - Respondents’ answers are limited to a fixed set of responses. Most scales are closed ended. Other types of closed ended questions include:
   • Yes/no questions - The respondent answers with a "yes" or a "no".
   • Multiple choice - The respondent has several option from which to choose.
   • Scaled questions - Responses are graded on a continuum (example : rate the appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most preferred appearance). Examples of types of scales include the Likert scale, semantic differential scale, and rank-order scale (See scale for a complete list of scaling techniques.).
4. Open ended questions - No options or predefined categories are suggested. The respondent supplies their own answer without being constrained by a fixed set of possible responses. Examples of types of open ended questions include:
   • Completely unstructured - For example, "What is your opinion on questionnaires?"
   • Word association - Words are presented and the respondent mentions the first word that comes to mind.
   • Sentence completion - Respondents complete an incomplete sentence. For example, "The most important consideration in my decision to buy a new house is . . ."
   • Story completion - Respondents complete an incomplete story.
   • Picture completion - Respondents fill in an empty conversation balloon.
   • Thematic apperception test - Respondents explain a picture or make up a story about what they think is happening in the picture